There are many types of patient table arrangements used in conjunction with computerized tomographic equipment and systems, such as, for example, the table mechanism shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,368; or the apparatus for positioning a sample in a computerized axial tomographic scanner which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,242. All of the known patient table arrangements include some type of support structure on which the patient is inserted into the gantry of the CT scanner for accomplishing the CT scans.
In all of the known arrangements the actual patient support structure remains at the front of the gantry during the scan process. In some systems the distal end of the structure on which the patient rests that is inserted into the gantry is also supported by an auxilliary table at the back of the gantry. In all of the known prior art patient table arrangements the table initially located at the front of the gantry remains at the front of the gantry during the scan This severely limits the working space available at the front of the gantry.
The space limitation makes it difficult for medical personnel to properly administer aid (i.e. oxygen) and/or medication to patients who are under intensive care and require CT scans. Thus, to enhance the ability of the hospital staff t service the intensive care patient being scanned and in general to increase the working space at the entrance to the CT gantry it has long been a desired object to maximize the working space at the front of the gantry.